Mtbr noob

Hi all,
my name is Darren and Im new to the forums, but not to mountain biking. As a kid nothing beat ripping around trails behind my parents on my faithful Trek 800 sport. Unfortunately what used to be a daily infatuation with riding subsided with the aquisition of a drivers license. Always into cars, my attention shifted towards tuning and tinkering Volkswagens. Back to the point though.... I missed the health benefit and rush of riding a mountain bike so I threw some hints out there and was gifted a Dawes Haymaker 1000 for christmas in 2011. Fast forward to now and Im riding some agressive singletrack with very good riders on Stumpjumpers, yetis and cool bikes like that. Im in decent shape but have a ways to go. A somewhat muscular 220 lbs isnt ideal for mountain biking, nor is a belly that enjoys beer. Im doing my best though! I know BikesDirect draws mixed feelings, but Ive really enjoyed the Haymaker. Ive got DMR V-8 pedals, Ergon GP-1 Grips and a pair of Kenda Nevegals (2.35"/2.1") to handle the technical singletrack I enjoy most. Any tips,tricks for a noob are appreciated. I was also wondering if there were other Haymaker Riders with good set up, parts reccomendations. Thanks!